Fundraising can be tricky. Creating unique items to sell that people will be eager to buy is the bane of every fundraising chairman’s existence.

Custom printed calendars are a good fundraising choice because they are a tool that most people use regularly. There is no need to convince buyers they need a calendar. There is only the need to convince buyers they need YOUR calendar.

Why Do People Buy?

Fundraiser calendars should be attractive. They should be filled with images that people will want to display on their walls.

Custom printed calendars are unique and limited-edition, naturally creating scarcity. This will make buyers more willing to say yes to the seller in the moment.

What Should the Calendar Theme Be?

Images for the calendar should be attractive and reflective of the cause for fundraising. Calendars with adorable dogs and cats are classic for animal welfare fundraisers.

Consider what the fundraiser’s core cause is and how it can be reflected in the calendar. The correlation doesn’t have to be exact. A fundraiser to support a local care home for the elderly might feature recipes given by those residents from their childhood complete with images of the tasty dish.

A fundraiser for sick children might feature pictures drawn by those children with a simple bio explaining how funds will support that individual child.

How is the Calendar Created?

Once a theme has been decided appropriate images should be gathered and organized by month. It is helpful but not mandatory to organize the images by seasonal theme or feel. Depending on the theme of the calendar, seasonal tie-ins should be given preference in the related images.

If suitable images can’t be sourced then custom illustrations can be bought for the calendar.

Other Things to Consider 

• Calendars can include important organizational dates such as future fundraising events along with the typically listed holidays.
• Calendar fundraisers are most successful when done near the end of the year. If the calendars will be available to purchase for an extended period of time they should be made available from October to February. If the fundraiser is short-term then November or December are the best choices.
• Along with attractive images, the calendar should include contact information for the fundraising organization and how to further donate to the cause.
• Keep in mind that custom calendar publishers often offer lower prices for larger orders, so it is wise to purchase the high end of what is expected to sell so that the printing costs are ket down, and can earn more money for the intended cause.
• Consider a betterbinding option. Saddle stitch binding is commonly used in mass-produced calendars. This sort of binding holds the calendar together with staples. It does the job and keeps costs down. However, for a fundraising calendar, wire-o double binding looks more professional and gives the calendar a higher quality look, making it more attractive to customers. While the wire-o double binding will add to production costs, it will equally add to the appeal of the finished product.
• Custom printed calendars can be sold at events, door to door, or to local businesses. Everyone uses calendars.

InstantPublisher can help you create a custom printed calendar for your next fundraiser. Call us at 1 800 259 2592. Or fill out our online contact form. You can also send us an email to questions@instantpublisher.com.